THE NEWS IN BRIEF: Fear of Legal Action Apparently Shuts Down Popular Music-Sharing Program i2hub

The legal battle over online file sharing claimed a new victim this week when i2hub, an application that allowed high speed, peer-to-peer uploading and downloading of files over the intercollegiate network Internet2, shut down on Monday.

The i2hub website contained no details about the closure of the service, displaying only a blank page with a graphic containing the words “Remember i2hub,” accompanied by a caption reading “R.I.P.” and the dates of i2hub’s launch and demise (“03.14.2004 - 11.14.2005”).

No contact information for the operators of i2hub was made available on the website.

The shutdown seemed to have come in response to fears of legal action. Users of i2hub, including several Harvard students, had already been sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for allegedly using the service to share copyrighted music.

The Motion Picture Association of America had also filed similar litigation against individuals who allegedly shared copyrighted movies over i2hub.

Legal issues seem particularly likely to underlie the i2hub shutdown in light of the Supreme Court’s June decision in the case of MGM Studios v. Grokster, in which the Court ruled that file-sharing services could be held responsible for the illegal use of their programs if they were found to have promoted the sharing of copyrighted material.

The RIAA released a statement in reaction to i2hub’s downfall.

“We continue to be encouraged by the response of many of the illegal peer-to-peer sites to the Supreme Court’s unanimous Grokster decision,” the statement said. “The message from the Court has been heard, and we look forward to working with services that will respect the laws protecting creators.”

Reports that i2hub’s shutdown resulted directly from a cease-and-desist letter from the RIAA could not be verified last night, as RIAA spokeswoman Jenni R. Engebretsen declined to comment beyond the organization’s statement.